Eighteen arrested for corruption at the Ficksburg Border Post

Eighteen arrested for corruption at the Ficksburg Border Post
Eighteen arrested for corruption at the Ficksburg Border Post. Photo: SAPS

The Hawks, in conjunction with the Free State Home Affairs officials, South African Police Service members and Crime Intelligence have arrested eighteen (18) people for corruption at the Ficksburg Border Post which connects South Africa and Lesotho on Wednesday morning.

The suspects, ten (10) of them police officers, five (5) Home Affairs officials and three (3) runners were allegedly involved in the fraudulent endorsement of expired passports or travel documents in exchange of money or other forms of gratification.

The bust at the Ficksburg border is the fourth of its kind, following the Hawks’ resounding success at the Beit Bridge Border Post in Musina, Limpopo, Vioolsdrift Port of Entry in Northern Cape and the Maseru Port of Entry.

The suspects will face the charges of fraud, corruption and the Contravention of the Immigration Act when they appear at the Ficksburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 30 March 2017.

The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza, who physically attended the operation, said the Hawks are determined to curb corruption at the ports of entries and whoever is involved in illegal activities does so at his or her own peril.

South Africa Today – South Africa News

SOURCESouth African Police Service